Reunion, Remembrance, Risk, and Relief: The Place Where Our Memories Intersect History
We gather together in family reunions, memorials, class reunions, anniversaries, parades. We gather to remember and relive, but we also gather for something more. What is the relationship between memory and history, and how does one affect the other? Historical fiction author Carl Eeman explores the ways in which we remember our personal and collective pasts, and the importance of reunion in helping us mark time, find relief, and tell our stories.
What if Humpty Dumpty Hadn’t Fallen? The Value of Historical Fiction
Despite what our high school teachers told us, history cannot be reduced to names, dates, and places. History is the story of who we are as a culture, a people, a civilization. We tell stories to explain, to connect, and to find meaning. Historical fiction allows us to tell these stories with more breadth – and when we ask “what if”, we allow ourselves to consider a different path, allowing us to and draw lessons and insights that inform our present and help us shape our future. Historical fiction author Carl Eeman explores the ways viewing history through fiction helps us find meaning.
Completing History: Reclaiming the History of Liberty
History is more than great men doing great things at great moments; history at its broadest is inclusive of all peoples, shaping our collective narrative and forming group identities. While there are risks in “revisionist history” or in focusing on only one side of the story, historical fiction allows us to consider alternatives and tell the stories that become part of our collective past. Historical fiction author Carl Eeman explores the often untold side of the American Civil War and slavery, and how telling the rest of the story allows us to reclaim the story of liberty for all.
To book Carl Eeman to speak to your group, please contact us at books@melangepress.com.
